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GTA Online adds miles to 'Grand Theft Auto' journey (review)

By Ross Edwards, Sentinel & Enterprise

Posted:
10/08/2013 04:32:49 AM MDT

Updated:
10/08/2013 05:26:18 AM MDT

The inmates are really running the asylum now.

You may have thought the single-player campaign for "Grand Theft Auto V" carried video game mayhem to impossible heights. However, GTA Online released last week, proving that when it comes to carnage and chaos there really is no substitute for the human touch.

Grand Theft Auto Online allows up to 16 players to exist simultaneously in the massive and breathtaking setting of San Andreas, competing in hundreds of cooperative and competitive multiplayer challenges or simply exploring the bountiful activities available in free-roaming sessions. When you're not busy building your criminal empire, why not take some friends skydiving, play a round of golf, or challenge a buddy to an arm-wrestling contest?

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Thanks to a couple of days plagued by server issues at launch -- as well as the tedious obligations of the non-virtual world -- I've only been able to log about 20 hours in the online offering so far, which is to say I've barely scratched the surface. Still, that's time enough time to provide some early impressions for gamers who are considering making the leap into multiplayer.

First and foremost, realize that GTA Online's free-roam lobbies are pure anarchy. It's experiencing the world of Grand Theft Auto as inhabited by 15 other sociopaths. A stranger speeding toward you in a tricked-out sports car is equally likely to stop and offer you a ride as he is to flatten you on the pavement and continue on his merry way.

For those who crave a bit more structure, there are endless varieties of jobs to build your character's wealth and reputation. Races, deathmatch battles and missions will all help you level up. As you gain in rank, you unlock new weapons, cars and clothing.

Before you reach double digits in rank, the world of GTA Online feels oddly empty. There are plenty of objectives to complete in the early going, but it isn't until you start to earn a name for yourself in the criminal underworld that you see the full splendor that online play has to offer.

Players can create their own challenges, assigning checkpoints and cars to races or dictating the terms of a deathmatch. Many of the preset options are also truly spectacular. The highlight of the experience so far has been the aptly named Top Fun mission, in which a team of four players on dirt bikes escapes from a military facility and speeds toward the safety of the coast. The opposite team leaps into fighter jets and gives chase, with predictably spectacular results.

Every self-respecting ne'er-do-well needs to look the part. That means customizing your personal vehicle and, eventually, buying a swanky home. Before you can do any of that, you'll need to create a character, which is one of the most disappointing aspects of the online experience.

Instead of the standard method of fine-tuning your appearance, your character's physical attributes will be decided by choosing from among a small sampling of grandparents, both maternal and paternal. Their genes mixed together dictate the outcome.

Instead of picking an outfit, you'll assign the number of hours each day you perform an activity -- a workaholic wears a suit, a slacker gets a hoodie, and so on. More likely, you'll ignore what each bar actually represents and sample randomly until you find your desired style.

This is really bad form on the part of Rockstar North. Healthy character creators as seen in the Saints Row series have become the norm, and given the sky-high ambitions the developer takes with this online offering, such a weak opening is a glaring error.

You're defined by more than just looks, however. Rockstar makes an effort to group players of similar skills and tastes together in its lobbies. To that end, the developer threatens players who partake in undesirable activities with being labeled a "bad sport." Too many slaps on the wrist, the developer warns, and you'll be grouped only in lobbies with other naughty players.

It sounds like a good idea, but in my first five hours with GTA Online I was threatened with being a bad sport on three separate occasions -- none of which was avoidable. I was kicked from a racing job by my opponents in the opening seconds, booted mid-job by the struggling servers, and shot down in a helicopter, with the ensuing crash destroying someone else's personal vehicle.

It turns out GTA rewards killing other players to steal their pocket change, but if their car is collateral damage the game shakes its finger like a disapproving governess.

After 20 hours of play, I'm still not sure where I stand with GTA Online. If you can get some friends together, it's an amazing experience that has the potential for immense replay value. That said, a setting largely devoid of the bizarre characters and amusing satire of the single-player campaign feels like it's missing that signature GTA charm.

Considered as part of a package deal with the single-player game, however, GTA Online comprises half of a can't-miss gaming experience. "Grand Theft Auto V" is among the most entertaining games in recent memory, and Online is only adding miles to that wonderful journey.

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